Horse in Urban Environment

Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects has won the international competition to design Hästen 21, a 43,000m2 development in central Stockholm, Sweden. The new building complex will comprise of a combination of diverse retail, office space, and city centre apartments to ensure a vibrant and lively city environment. The architecture captures the essence of inner Stockholm, by interpreting the characteristics of the Stockholm volumes and heights, and adds a new and unique architectural expression.

The modern open glazed facade framed with light natural stone, and the setbacks of the volume ensure a relationship with the adjacent buildings. The rounded corners set the building within a tradition of classic city centre masterpieces. The retail areas at the lower levels that connect to the city, present a unique opportunity for branding premium shops and create superior customer experiences, by connecting the levels and providing new alleys through the building that create shortcuts through the block.

The office layout is designed to facilitate maximum daylight and create fantastic views of the Stockholm skyline, without compromising the functionality. At multiple levels, the tenants have access to outdoor areas on green roof terraces and all the benefits from the shared business foyer with meeting and conference facilities. The apartments are placed in their own vertical part of the building, so it becomes visible in the city and has balconies towards the street, where the residents can enjoy the evening sun that is so special for the Scandinavian countries.

Hästen 21 is designed to be strong and flexible enough to go through a future dialogue process to add value to the future vision of the city of Stockholm, as well as changes and new trends in the commercial market.